1. Field
This application relates generally to semiconductor devices and to methods of making the devices.
2. Background of the Technology
A field-effect transistor (FET) is a type of transistor commonly used for weak-signal amplification (e.g., for amplifying wireless signals). The device can amplify analog or digital signals. It can also switch DC or function as an oscillator. In an FET, current flows along a semiconductor path called the channel. At one end of the channel, there is an electrode called the source. At the other end of the channel, there is an electrode called the drain. The physical diameter of the channel is fixed, but its effective electrical diameter can be varied by the application of a voltage to a control electrode called the gate. The conductivity of the FET depends, at any given instant in time, on the electrical diameter of the channel. A small change in gate voltage can cause a large variation in the current from the source to the drain thereby allowing for amplification of signals.
A PiN diode is a diode with a wide, lightly doped ‘near’ intrinsic semiconductor region between a p-type semiconductor and n-type semiconductor regions. A junction barrier Schottky (JBS) diode is also referred to as a merged PiN Schottky diode since it contains both PiN and Schottky barrier (i.e., metal-semiconductor) junctions.
Semiconductor devices such as FETs and PiN and JBS diodes are typically made using ion implantation techniques. Ion implantation, however, requires high temperature post implant anneals which increases the time required to manufacture the device and which can result in damage to the device.
Accordingly, there still exists a need for improved methods of making semiconductor devices such as FETs and PiN and JBS diodes which do not involve ion implantation.